Baffled about not being noticed by the audience that matters on Instagram, no matter what is being done? Blaming the complex algorithm for leaving your brand out? Think again. Perhaps it's time for bringing a shift in your content marketing strategy.
Shortcuts like followers-for-money and Chatbots that interact on behalf of brands have become obsolete. Moreover, these would result only in a temporary spike in follower rate but may not help brands in the long run.
Let’s have a look at 5 tips that would help gather valuable followers on Instagram who genuinely care about and engage with your brand by creating rich and mobile-first content.
Persuasive captions
If there’s anything that instantly gets the notice of your audience, it’s those eyeball grabbing captions. Being a visual platform, many elements might capture the audience's attention. Among them, captions play a crucial role in garnering reach and engagement. So it is wise to fit in impact generating words within the first 125 characters to persuade the target audience to tap 'more'. Different captions lengths can be experimented with based on the kind of storytelling brand posts warrant - from concise to lengthy as characters can go up to 2200 in numbers. Although studies have suggested that long interactive captions improve engagement.
A potpourri of Stories
Instagram story feed is a great way to draw your audience's attention, as it is short-lived nature and has a distinct placement on the area above the newsfeed. Stories that depict consistent brand messages like lucrative offers, wordplays, witty, relatable content are bound to appeal to the audience. In addition, compelling brand stories that gel with business-oriented goals help improve visit rates from new users and help build a loyal following.
AR Filters
Remember those posts with national flags painted across faces or filters that enable you to try on a piece of new jewellery or tie. That's the work of Augmented Reality (AR) filters. These are photos that are often instantly modified with effects while taking pictures through front or back cameras. Within a short period, they have earned appreciation as well as obsession from Instagram users. Some drive higher levels of consumer engagement by encouraging answers, opinions and reactions. This is a golden chance for brands to get closer to the audience that matters because such filters are clickable, redirecting consumers to brand pages.
Branded and non-branded hashtags
A relevant hashtag is what honey is to bees. While non-branded hashtags work across varied demographics and help people find products and services they've been looking for, branded content allows brands to establish their authenticity. Hashtags can help consumers trace their needs back to brands that cater to those needs. Moreover, hashtagged content also appear in the feeds of people who may or may not be following brand accounts. Therefore, including up to 30 relevant experimental or novel hashtags is essential. What better way to get followers on Instagram for free!
Influencer-generated content
With their entertaining personas and already established audience bases, Influencers are well adept at becoming brand ambassadors. Partnering with the right industry influencer can help brands boost their online presence while improving their connection and brand revenue.
Here’s how we created rich content for some of our clients that delivered impressive results
Avon
Avon is a leading international cosmetics brand that wanted to improve its brand- connect with the millennials. To achieve this objective, we created interactive AR filters to be released on various occasions. These filters were well received by Avon fans on Instagram, and engagement levels soared. What's more, the brand was able to grow its follower base significantly.
Redington Gulf
Redington Gulf is a leading global player in modern devices. They wanted to get closer to consumers through improved adoption of modern devices. Targeting consumers aged 15 to 40 years, the idea was to create 4 different personas that would strike a chord across varied demographics, encouraging consumers to upgrade their lifestyle and work habits. Thus ‘Level Up With A Modern PC’ campaign was conjured. It reached to those on top but were unstoppable and ambitious for more. Giving a fresh twist to content marketing the campaign rolled out on prime social platforms with leading Dubai-based influencers belonging to four target consumer personas – Working Mothers, Creative Professionals, Business Professionals and Students sharing their stories.
The target consumers were redirected to the official microsite wherein they were encouraged to share how a Modern PC helped them become better, faster, and smarter in things they’re already good at. The best story would win a Modern PC. Redington UAE succeeded in generating a humungous response via user-generated content; maximizing traction and stirring brand conversation. This led to a considerable increase in the adoption of Modern PCs powered by a strong, persuasive and Insta-worthy content planning.
Want to improve your interaction with the target consumer base, build brand awareness, and improve your digital marketing strategy? Get in touch with us today!
